Chamber and committees

All NHS territorial boards in the Highlands and Islands region have been allocated funding as part of the additional £200m Operational Improvement Plan investment to deliver and expand their Hospital at Home services.

All territorial boards are currently providing a Hospital at Home service. Some of these services are more established while others are still developing. What matters most is that these services are proportionate to the population's needs and effectively connected to community support, enabling people to receive safe and timely care, in the most appropriate location.

The Scottish Government regularly engages with waste sector representative bodies, including those representing commercial operators/Energy from Waste (EfW) facilities such as the Scottish Environmental Services Association (SESA), through channels such as the Waste and Resources Sector Forum.

This includes recent engagement with both public (local authority) and commercial sector representatives in relation to policies including the ban on landfilling biodegradable municipal waste (BMW), the proposed expansion of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme to include incineration and waste treatment capacity, among others.

The Hydrogen Innovation Scheme, part of the Scottish Government’s Emerging Energy Technology Fund, was launched for project funding applications in June 2022 and closed in August 2022 for Stream 1 projects and in September 2022 for Stream 2 projects.

The 2022 independent review on the role of incineration in Scotland’s waste hierarchy states that in the short-term, incineration will have a role to play in managing our waste as we transition to a circular economy.

As we continue to increase our reuse and recycling rates, we will produce even less waste, however we will still need an appropriate way to manage our unavoidable and unrecyclable waste.

That’s why the Scottish Government’s Fourth National Planning Framework (NPF4) makes clear that development proposals for energy-from-waste facilities will not be supported, except under limited circumstances.

We have also been working with local authorities, through Zero Waste Scotland, to reduce the length of energy from waste contracts, and remove the requirement for guaranteed tonnages – giving local authorities the flexibility to respond to changes that will support Scotland’s move to a circular economy.

Our sixth Rapid Cancer Diagnostic Service for people with non-specific symptoms of cancer open in NHS Forth Valley in May.

The Centre for Sustainable Delivery is now working with Boards across Scotland to embed learning and work on non-specific symptoms pathways across Scotland.

In line with the publication of the recently revised Scottish Referral Guidelines for Urgent Suspicion of Cancer in July this year, the Centre for Sustainable Delivery have confirmed that all NHS territorial Health Boards now have pathways in place for those presenting with non-specific symptoms of cancer.

The Scottish Government recognises the value of a long term, evidenced-based indicative residual waste treatment cap to help inform planning and investment decisions as Scotland transitions towards a circular economy, as part of an overall strategic approach (Recommendation 5 of the Independent Review on the Role of Incineration in Scotland’s Waste Hierarchy (the Review) published May 2022).

That is why, as set out in Scotland’s Circular Economy and Waste Route Map to 2030, we have committed to develop an indicative cap through Scotland’s Residual Waste Plan (RWP), due for publication in 2027.

In line with the Review’s recommendation, any cap will be indicative and consider all residual waste capacity, including landfill and other treatment options. It should account for waste streams that must be incinerated by law, such as those containing persistent organic pollutants (POPs), and allow for sufficient contingency to account for uncertainties in the data, the trajectory of residual waste arisings, and policy development and delivery.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) continues to employ permanent Community Safety Advocates across Scotland, who work alongside colleagues in local areas to undertake important community safety and prevention work.

SFRS continues to invest significantly in their prevention work, which is reflected in both the current Service Delivery Review and the recent publication of the SFRS Strategy 2025-2028 | Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

The requested information on what the total financial cost has been of staff absences related to stress, anxiety and depression in NHS Scotland since 1 January 2020 is not held centrally.

If a party to a case believes that another party has not obeyed a contact order, they can go back to court and either ask the court to change the order or to hold the party who wilfully did not obey the order in contempt of court.

The Children (Scotland) Act 2020 (the 2020 Act) reforms the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 (the 1995 Act, key legislation in relation to contact, residence and Parental Responsibilities and Rights) and makes a number of changes to family law. A key aim is to ensure that the child’s best interests are at the centre of any contact or residence case.

Section 22 of the 2020 Act places a duty on the court to investigate the reasons behind a failure to obey a contact order (or another order relating to parental responsibilities or parental rights made by the court under section 11 of the 1995 Act). As part of this investigation the court must – taking account of the child’s age and maturity – have regard to any views the child wishes to express. This may involve appointing a Child Welfare Reporter. Contempt of court remains the final sanction for wilful non-compliance with an order. This reflects the serious nature of the issue and the effect that non-compliance can have on a child. Section 22 is yet to be brought into force.

The veterans budget for this year will cover:

• The Scottish Veterans Fund, covering 12 projects which support the Armed Forces and Veterans community.
• The Unforgotten Forces Consortium, to support their work connecting older veterans to services, help and advice.
• Veterans Scotland for their role in coordinating support for veterans across Scotland.
• The National Education and Transitions Officer, which is a role jointly funded with the Scottish Government’s Additional Support for Learning team which aims to improve policy and practice affecting service children and veterans children in Scotland.
• Legion Scotland’s national commemorative event in Scotland to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
• Miscellaneous spend throughout the financial year, including wreaths, medal replacements and various publications of Scottish Government documents.

It is worth noting that while this budget represents the dedicated spend of the Scottish Government's Veterans Unit, there is other funding to support veterans across different areas, such as the Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Pathway.